Chronicling the New Nomads

‘Please Look After Mom,’ which sold more than 1 million copies in South Korea, is the first of Kyung-sook Shin’s novels to be translated into English.

In South Korea she is a best-selling author, but in the U.S., Kyung-sook Shin is experiencing the giddy anticipation of a writer’s debut all over again.

The author of seven novels, seven short-story collections and three books of essays, Ms. Shin, 49 years old, is one of Korea’s most established literary figures. Her novel, “Please Look After Mom,” however, is her first to make it into English translation. Although still far from the million-plus copies it sold in Korea, an estimated 33,000 have sold in the U.S. since its April publication, according to Nielsen BookScan, and the translation is being distributed in 18 other countries.

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“This whole process has brought back what it felt like when I published my first book,” she said. “There were a few times when I was anxious, but for the most part, the experience has been enjoyable.”

“Please Look After Mom’s” sales got a considerable boost in the English-speaking world when it was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize, given each year to the best novel in English by an Asian writer. Ms. Shin is the first Korean writer to make the shortlist.

According to her, part of the book’s pan-cultural appeal lies in its universal themes: motherhood and a child’s familiar sense of guilt that he hasn’t done enough to show his appreciation for his family.

As “Please Look After Mom” begins, Park So-nyo, the mother of four grown children, has gone missing from a local train station. The story is told from four perspectives, as her family comes to terms with losing her and begins to realize the ways in which they failed to take time from their busy urban lives to express gratitude for her generosity and devotion.

Ms. Shin said she wrote the book as a reflection on the itinerant nature of contemporary professional life, both in Korea and abroad, whereby young people leave their families and hometowns in search of faraway opportunities.